Extremists and al-Qaeda carrying rebel fight in Syria – study | End the Lie – Independent News

Almost half of the rebel forces fighting against the Syrian government are hardline Islamists or jihadists with al-Qaeda links, according to a new ...

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16/09/2013

Almost half of the rebel forces fighting against the Syrian government are hardline Islamists or jihadists with al-Qaeda links, according to a new study due to be published this week. Split into around 1,000 fragmented cells, the Syrian opposition consists of at least 10,000 fighters who are jihadists with strong links to al-Qaeda, while another 35,000 are hardline Islamists, according to analysis by defence consultancy IHS Jane’s. The difference between jihadist and hardliners, the Telegraph reports is that the latter concentrates only on the Syria, while jihadist groups have a global outreach. A further 30,000 opposition fighters belong to more moderate groups that have an Islamic character. The study, based interviews with militants and on intelligence estimates, concludes that around 100,000 rebel fighters are involved with the opposition forces.